Systems and methods of manufacturing engineered molded cellulose panels

ABSTRACT

Building materials made of agricultural and other cellulosic byproducts and methods for their production. In production of these materials, cellulosic containing alloys are formed providing a slurry of the desired by-products, de-watered via a pressure press, optionally with several pressing and slurry application steps. The press optionally has desired properties, such as for acoustic engineering of the resulting panel. Resins are infused in the panels for desired water resistant or other properties.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject application is a continuation of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US16/21281, filed Mar. 7, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/128,967, entitled, “Systems and Methods of Manufacturing Engineered Molded Cellulose Panels”, filed on Mar. 5, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/128,971, entitled, “Systems and Methods of Manufacturing Engineered Molded Cellulose Panels”, filed on Mar. 5, 2015, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter described herein relates generally to systems and methods of making manufacturing engineered cellulose based panels, and the products produced via these systems and methods.

BACKGROUND

Various materials have been used for building purposes throughout history include stone, mud, metals, clay, wood and others. Although these materials can have suitable applications for some buildings and other structures, they may not suit particular applications.

Various industries and consumers create numerous waste materials which may not have many suitable secondary uses or be recyclable and instead end up in landfills or are burned and can contribute to pollution and greenhouse gases. For example, agricultural waste, such as grain chaff may be burned or discarded, rather than recycled,

Thus, needs exist for using waste materials and other industrial and agricultural byproducts as improved building materials.

SUMMARY

Provided herein are embodiments of building materials made of byproducts and associated manufacturing systems and methods for their production—forming cellulosic containing alloys or desired structural properties—including one or more of high tensile or compressive strength, water resistance, fire resistance or acoustically insulating. The types of these building materials and associated manufacturing systems and methods for production are described in detail by way of various embodiments, which are only examples.

Other systems, devices, methods, features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the accompanying figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, materials, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the subject matter described herein, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The details of the subject matter set forth herein, both as to its structure and operation, may be apparent by study of the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the subject matter. Moreover, all illustrations are intended to convey concepts, where relative sizes, shapes and other detailed attributes may be illustrated schematically rather than literally or precisely.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a material manufacturing process and apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a material manufacturing process and apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a material manufacturing process and apparatus in accordance with the invention including application of a second slurry;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a curved manufactured product in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a panel product in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present subject matter is described in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims.

Suitable processes using the material compositions, mixtures or recipes of the present invention are described, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 8,297,027, issued Oct. 30, 2012, U.S. Pat. No. 8,475,894, issued Jul. 2, 2013, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,936,699, issued Jan. 20, 2015, all of which are referred to and incorporated herein by this reference in their entireties.

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a material manufacturing process and end products. In the example embodiment numerous steps are shown which can be utilized in manufacturing a material, such as a building material.

Initially a composition, mixture or recipe as shown in FIG. 1 can be used to create particular material slurry 10. This can be accomplished by combining desired material components in measured amounts, adding water or other appropriate liquid substances which can aid in entraining components in a slurry, and binding as a board is formed. The slurry may be input into a screen, tray or mixing table, as illustrated with reference number 20, which can have a flat surface in some embodiments or have predetermined or prefabricated shape in other embodiments.

A complementary press 30 as illustrated in FIG. 2 can then be applied to squeeze liquid out of the slurry by applying force in an appropriate direction, such as downward on an upward facing tray or screen, while retaining the material components in the tray or screen. Liquid can be squeezed out for example through holes, slits, or other appropriate cavities 40.

After an appropriate period, which can be short in some embodiments, additional layers of slurry can be added and liquid pressed out, as illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, a first pressed portion is shown as reference number 50 and an additional layer of slurry is illustrated as reference number 60. Likewise, a second press may be used for a further pressing step. This second press is illustrated in FIG. 3 as reference number 70.

After an appropriate period, a resin or other agent optionally can be applied or infused which in some embodiments can serve as a fire retardant, sealing agent, solidification agent or other purpose before a final building material is finished. Infusion of resin 80 to a pressed product 90 is illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Some steps described above can be done cold while others can require heating.

In some embodiments finished building materials can be a flat panel, side by side flat panels glued or otherwise adhered to a corrugated central component or can have slits in appropriate locations to provide flexibility or undulating surfaces. Infusion of resin 80 in two examples of such product configurations 90 are illustrated in FIG. 4A for a shaped product, and FIG. 4B for a flat panel product.

At least five classes of material technology can be used in various embodiments with numerous combinations and permutations possible from there forming an alloy like end product containing various desired combinations of input materials. One can be a raw material technology that can include fiber sources, preparations and alloys. A second can be high strength engineered molded cellulose such as a fiber mix, with or without additives and with or without resin infusion. A third can be water resistant engineered molded cellulose such as a fiber mix, with or without additives, and with or without resin infusion. A fourth can be a fire resistant engineered molded cellulose such as a fiber mix, with or without additives, with or without resins (such as by resin infusion) and coatings. A fifth can be an acoustic engineered molded cellulose such as a fiber mix, additives, with or without resins (such as by resin infusion), specific geometric paneling and custom surface(s).

Fiber and material alloys can be created using a variety of fiber types providing specialized performance characteristics and manufacturing efficiencies with at least one product performance enhancement. These can include natural paper based cellulose fibers, agricultural fiber, high strength and high performance mineral fibers, synthetic fibers, and hard materials. Natural paper based cellulose fibers can include recycled cardboard, recycled craft or kraft paper, recycled office paper, recycled newsprint and others. Agricultural fibers can include wheat straw, corn straw or silage, rice straw, cotton, hemp, kenaf, sugarcane bagasse, bamboo, and other fibers resulting from underutilized or waste streams as a result of agri-business or manufacturing processes. High strength and high performance mineral fibers can include glass fiber, carbon fiber, and others. Synthetic fibers can include various textile fibers. Hard materials can include coffee grounds, nut shells, husks, egg shells, glass beads, minerals and others.

The natural paper-based fiber sources can be mixed and introduced into a hydro pulping process, such as mixing the fiber and water to create a pulp, which is readied as a “base” for additional fiber and materials and next steps toward a forming and pressing process. These can be used to comprise the base because they are commodities and are broadly available, and this base mix provides a ready source of materials and commercial use of waste or byproducts.

The synthetic, mineral and organic “performance fiber/materials” can be introduced into the pulp at a hydro pulper to be integral with the natural furnishing through forming and pressing stages of the manufacturing process, or can be introduced at later stages of the production process.

Agricultural fiber can be in chopped, raw or unprocessed form when integrated into the base pulp. Various agricultural fiber textiles can be added in granulated or digested form directly into a base pulp. Agricultural fibers can be laid on a pulp and form a wet mat after forming on a mold before the combination is entered into a hot press for final formation. Agricultural fibers can also be laid on a finished panel before a resin is applied to bond the agricultural fibers to create finished panels.

High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic fibers can be in in chopped, raw or unprocessed form when integrated into the base pulp. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic fibers can be added in granulated or digested form directly into a base pulp. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic fibers can be laid on a pulp and form a wet mat after forming on a mold before the combination is entered into a hot press for final formation. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic fibers can be laid on a finished panel before a resin is applied to bond the agricultural fibers to create finished panels.

High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as hard materials can be in hopped, raw or unprocessed form when integrated into the base pulp. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as hard materials can be added in granulated or digested form directly into a base pulp. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as hard materials can be laid on a pulp and form a wet mat after forming on a mold before the combination is entered into a hot press for final formation. High strength and high performance mineral and synthetic fibers such as hard materials can be laid on a finished panel before a resin is applied to bond the agricultural fibers to create finished panels.

Resin infusion on panels can be added to each of the embodiments listed above. This post production process of resin infusion coupled with the fiber compositions and processes listed above can produce products, which have higher tensile strength and in some cases increased fire resistance. This can allow for an inexpensive and efficient processes for creating high-performance composites.

Hard materials can provide increased compressive strength and increased hardness and an ability to create smoother surfaces from sanding and polishing for variety of applications.

Thus, it is seen that wet process engineered products and a wet process for making them are provided. It should be understood that any of the foregoing configurations and specialized components or may be interchangeably used with any of the apparatus or systems of the preceding embodiments. Although illustrative embodiments are described hereinabove, it will be evident to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A wet process engineered molded cellulose composition comprising a pressed cellulose based board including a chopped agricultural cellulose embedded in a de-wetted matrix, infused with a resin.
 2. A process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition comprising: providing a first slurry containing at least one type of cellulosic fiber; positioning the first slurry in a press having a specified profile; de-watering the first slurry by exerting pressure within the press forming a shaped product; removing the shaped product from the press; and infusing the shaped product with a resin.
 3. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition of claim 2 further comprising: providing a second slurry after de-watering; and dewatering by exerting pressure within the press forming the shapes product including the de-watered first slurry and second slurry;
 4. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition of claim 2 wherein the shaped product is a flat panel.
 5. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition of claim 2 wherein the shaped product is a panel including at least one curve.
 6. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition of claim 2 wherein the shaped product is a panel including an undulating surface.
 7. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition or claim 2 wherein the first slurry includes fiber sources, preparations and alloys.
 8. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition or claim 2 wherein the first slurry includes a fiber mix, with or without additives and with or without resin infusion.
 9. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition or claim 2 wherein the first slurry includes a water resistant fiber mix, with or without additives, and with or without resin infusion.
 10. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition or claim 2 wherein the first slurry includes a fire resistant engineered molded cellulose such as a fiber mix, with or without additives, with or without resins and coatings.
 11. The process of manufacturing a cellulose based composition or claim 2 wherein the specific profile of the press includes a geometric pattern for desired acoustic properties of the product. 